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Marvel Studios has official revealed their casting choice for Red Skull, the main villain to be featured in “The First Avenger: Captain America”…and the role goes to Hugo Weaving! Excellent casting choice, no? In case you’re clueless as to who this legendary villain is, here’s the description courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Red Skull, Johann Schmidt (sometimes spelled Shmidt), was a former Nazi general officer and confidant of Adolf Hitler. He has been closely affiliated with HYDRA and is an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers, and the interests of the United States and the free world in general. He was physically augmented by having his mind placed into the body of a clone of Captain America, the pinnacle of human perfection. He has been seemingly killed in the past, only to return time and time again to plague the world with schemes of world domination and genocide.

While the deadline for casting Captain America was originally March 1st, director Joe Johnston is still in the process of deciding amongst 4 remaining contenders: Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Wilson Bethel (Generation Kill, The Young and the Restless) and Chris Evans (Fantastic Four). Shooting is scheduled to begin in the UK late June of this year.

“The First Avenger: Captain America” is projected to hit theaters July 22nd, 2011.

I bet you’re all itching to know the answer to the ultimate question: Is Chris Nolan directing Batman 3??? The best answer we can give is…it’s very likely In a recent interview with the LA Times, Nolan had the following to say regarding Batman 3:

The key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story. And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story…I’m very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we’ve done with the characters. My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff. Unlike the comics, these thing don’t go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we’re telling.

There you have it.  Nolan also mentioned that his brother Jonathan Nolan is “now doing the hard work” of writing the script with David Goyer.  He had the following to say:

My brother is writing a script for me and we’ll wait to see how it turns out…. He’s struggling to put it together into the epic story that you want it to be.

In addition, expect key characters who survived the first 2 films to return for the third.  Will that include the Joker?  We have no idea.  Here’s the quote:

We have a great ensemble, that’s one of the attractions of doing another film, since we’ve been having a great time for years.

…wait, there’s more Batman 3 news, you say?  Yes, indeed!  Nolan has also eliminated one of many potential villains who have been speculated to appear in the third film: Mr. Freeze.  Looks like those rumors about Dick Grayson and Mr. Freeze making cameos in Arkham Asylum were complete BS after all – as if we didn’t already know.

Moving onto news of the next “Superman” project, Chris Nolan had the following to say:

It’s very exciting, we have a fantastic story. And we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right…[it] is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way.

Nolan also stated that this next film will stand on its own, dismissing ideas of whether there will ever be a Superman/Batman crossover film:

A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do.  Each (Batman, Superman) serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.

Well, it certainly looks like the ball has started rolling on these 2 projects and with the approaching summer release of Nolan’s next film “Inception”, expect to hear more from the director in the coming months ahead.

You can find the entire LA Times article here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/03/christopher-nolan-takes-flight-with-superman-we-have-a-fantastic-story-1.html

Marvel Studios has revealed that they currently have 6 actors in the running for the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the anticipated comic book film adaptation, “The First Avenger: Captain America”. Who are these contenders? John Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Patrick Fluger, Scott Porter, Mike Vogel and Chace Crawford. Test screenings of the actors will be taking place this week as the studio puts the actors on 30-day holds during the process.

“The First Avenger: Captain America” will be directed by Joe Johnston and is aiming for a July 22nd, 2011 release date.

The latest news from Latino Review has confirmed that writer David Goyer (Batman Begins, Blade) has been hired by Warner Bros to write the next Superman film, tentatively titled “The Man of Steel”. Goyer’s script, which will not be an origin story, is rumored to include Lex Luthor and Brainiac, and involves the financial struggle of the Daily Planet in the modern digital world. The film is also expected to set up a “huge Kryptonian mythology” – whatever that means. In addition, Brandon Routh and “Superman Returns” director Bryan Singer are not expected to return.

Can David Goyer finally bring some life into this apparent reboot and ultimately pull a “Batman Begins” with the “Superman” franchise? What do you guys think?

Rumor has it Christopher Nolan has been approached to handle the reboot of the Warner Bros. Superman franchise. Looks like Nolan’s treatment of the Caped Crusader will earn him a chance to give the Man of Steel a proper entry perhaps without a superhero kid with asthma.

Entertainment Weekly published a picture of the new A-Team this week and of course it has been making rounds on the internet as well. I still think they could have done better casting for B.A. Baracus but we’ll see how it turns out.

Well, I wouldn’t have guessed this. According to a recent press release, Nickelodeon has officially acquired the global rights to the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” brand from Mirage Studios for an estimated $60 million. The deal gives Nickelodeon all intellectual property rights and merchandising rights to the characters. As a result, the company will now be developing the new CG-animated TV series, while its partner company, Paramount Pictures, will be developing the new feature film for a 2012 release year. Check out the press release:

Furthering its mission to provide premium content to its audiences, Nickelodeon–part of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom Inc.–has acquired the global rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. The acquisition provides Nickelodeon, the world’s number-one entertainment brand for kids, global intellectual property rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the hit television, film and video game property that has delighted kids around the world for the last 25 years. The aggregate purchase price for the transactions is approximately $60 million.

Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television series based on the popular superhero franchise, anticipated to premiere in 2012. Additionally, in partnership with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, a new release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for 2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the successful TMNT master toy program over the last two decades.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shares a comedic sensibility with the Nickelodeon DNA, with added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this property an evergreen favorite with multiple generations of audiences,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “We are extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property and creatively re-introduce it to a new generation of kids.”

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon,” said Adam Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.

“Mirage has been the proud keeper of the Turtles’ brand since 1984, and in 2009 we celebrated their 25th anniversary with our legions of fans,” said Gary Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. “Nickelodeon is a powerhouse global brand, and we are confident that the company will be a wonderful steward for Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and all the other TMNT characters and take them in all kinds of exciting and new creative directions.”

“We enjoyed our eight-year partnership with Mirage during which 4Kids and Mirage re-launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for a new generation of kids around the world,” said Alfred Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. “We will also work with Mirage and Viacom so that our Turtles’ licensees can be assured of a seamless transition.”

Considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series, and later spawned four blockbuster theatrical releases. The property also has translated into a significant consumer products business–with DVDs, video games, toys and more–that has generated billions of dollars at retail.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on four mutant turtles–trained in the art of Ninjitsu–who battle evil from the New York sewers. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated television series–jointly produced by 4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Studios–will continue to air on “TheCW4Kids” Saturday morning programming block on The CW network through Aug. 31, 2010.